Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers remarks during a meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the Pentagon on July 1, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia.

More than 60,000 feds are still waiting for their 2025 pay raise

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Navigating the Priorities of a New Administration

Strong human services fuel economic growth by supporting 55 million Americans with food, housing, and workforce development.

Management

FBI to move headquarters into Reagan Building, seemingly resolving decades-long fight

Officials did not immediately respond to questions about the timeline for the move or if it would displace the Reagan Building’s current tenants.

Workforce

Indeed: Job applications from feds level out after initial surge, but risks persist

The job search website also reported that major federal contractors are posting fewer openings, hurting opportunities for former civil servants looking for new work.

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The High Cost of Improper Payments: How Agencies Can Mitigate Risks Effectively and Efficiently

Travel and expense management helps government track spending, prevent fraud, protect officials, and support mission-critical operations.

Tech

Senate Democrats want more information on SSA’s use of AI on its phone lines

A new letter sent to the SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano follows Nextgov/FCW reporting that an anti-fraud check installed on the agency’s phone lines found very little likely fraud.

Tech

Senate panel advances Trump’s national cyber director nominee

Sean Cairncross now faces a vote in the full Senate. He was widely expected to advance out of committee.

Management

Virginia lawmakers demand answers on Trump’s planned ‘displacement’ of NSF

The lack of an announced successor space for the National Science Foundation and accusations of largesse to the Housing and Urban Development secretary have swirled since the proposal was unveiled last week.

VOICES
Management

SBA to audit 8(a) contracting program

The Small Business Administration cites the guilty pleas of a former contracting officer and industry executives in a decades-long bribery scheme.

Workforce

Following impoundments threat, new bill wants senior execs to get appropriations training, or else

Legislation from Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, seeks to ensure that select members of the executive branch get annual training on the budget process or face a possible suspension of financial decision making for their agency.

Management

No better way to manage performance

COMMENTARY | OPM's new performance management guidance looks to refine how federal agencies tackle employee performance, but to reach its mark, the federal government’s HR agency should explore how to empower employee problem-solving.

Workforce

Who should the government trust? Now’s your chance to weigh in

COMMENTARY | A new OPM rule would give agencies more power to remove employees deemed untrustworthy—part of a bigger shift toward a single, risk-based vetting system.

Pay & Benefits

All provisions targeting federal worker benefits, unions stricken from Senate reconciliation package

The Senate parliamentarian previously ruled that most of the proposals aimed at cutting federal employees’ retirement benefits and civil service protections violated a rule to ensure reconciliation bills are budgetary in nature.

Oversight

OSC recommends bonuses for whistleblowers at Maryland USDA facility

The reallocation of $50 million to upgrade a dilapidated federal research facility would not have been possible without the rights afforded workers through collective bargaining, union leaders argued.

Defense

DOGE now has approval authority for defense IT, consulting contracts

A new memo from the Defense Department's acquisition leader spells out what agencies and components have to inform the Department of Government Efficiency before proceeding on certain contracts.

Workforce

Mass layoffs likely to remain blocked, for now, thanks to a Supreme Court footnote

The Trump administration is cheering a SCOTUS ruling and its impact on the federal workforce, but attorneys on a key reduction-in-force case say its impact on feds is currently limited.

Workforce

At some federal beaches, surf’s up but the lifeguard chair’s empty

Some of the nation’s most popular beaches managed by the National Park Service are now seeing lifeguard shortages due to a mix of budget cuts, DOGE layoffs and a federal hiring freeze.

Management

States Fear Critical Funding From FEMA May Be Drying Up

Many states rely on the federal government for the vast majority of their emergency management funding. Now, local leaders are looking for clues about the money — and the future of FEMA itself.

Management

Cuts to FEMA and other agencies will lead to slow disaster response, former administrator says

“It just slows down the entire response and delays the recovery process from starting,” the previous FEMA chief said.

Workforce

House Dems warn Trump’s special counsel pick is anathema to job’s duties

Paul Ingrassia, 28, has been nominated to lead the office that investigates politically motivated firings and Hatch Act violations, despite statements supporting a purge of workers and cavorting with neo-Nazis.